The CMU College of Art, Media and Technology (CAMT) and the Confucius Institute have recognized the importance of advanced personnel development and since 2022, have started offering a Master of Science in Digital Technology Management in Thailand-China Cross-border E-commerce thanks to the partnership between CMU and Yunnan Normal University (YNNU), as well as experts in higher education and Thailand-China enterprises. The program has seen a lot of success and interest from students and companies alike due to the unique internship opportunities and post-graduation prospects for graduates proficient in both Thai and Chinese who are equipped with knowledge in cross-border e-commerce and also have excellent digital skills.
To promote learning and advanced personnel development, CAMT partnered with the Confucius Institute, the Programme Management Unit in Area Based Development (PMUA) and Mekong–Lancang Special Fund (MLCSF) to host a seminar titled ‘Advanced Thai and Chinese-speaking Personnel+’ in the 2nd Industrial, Educational, and Research Collaboration aiming to build a network for advanced personnel development and need response, the ‘Thailand-China CBEC” Workforce Development Forum’. Experts and entrepreneurs in the field of Thailand-China cross-border e-commerce were invited to share their insights. The opening ceremony was provided over by Dr. Kitipong Promwong, Director of the National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPC). Assistant Professor Dr. Worakanya Buranaphatthana, Assistant to the President, and Professor Wang Deqiang, YNNU President, also gave speeches supporting the program. Also in attendance were leading companies working in the field of cross-border e-commerce joining the roundtable discussion, which was broadcast on Facebook, YouTube and Bilibili on September 23, 2023, from 09.00 to 17.00, taking place in Meeting Room 201, at CMU ITSC.
Dr. Danaitun Pongpatcharatorntep, the Programme’s Director, revealed that producing Thai and Chinese bilingual personnel with the ability to apply the knowledge of digital technology to international business is vital to the improvement of Thailand’s competitiveness, particularly in the Northern region which is a trade gateway linking China to ASEAN. Trade openness through free trade areas and logistics connectivity is promoted. Also, Thailand’s geographically strategic location means that it is important for China to build collaboration in multiple areas through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which corresponds to Thailand’s Northern Economic Corridor (NEC), whereby Thailand aims to generate economic value added in the Northern region through economic trade and logistics cooperation between the Mekong-Lancang member countries, which include Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and China, in order to transform the Northern region from being ‘land locked’ into being ‘land linked’. Thus, it is essential to have workers equipped with the necessary linguistic, trade and digital skills ready for such opportunity.
The seminar aimed to present how the DTM-CBEC program by CAMT produces an international trade workforce through the digital and linguistic skills for trade in a way that fits with the needs of Thai and Chinese companies operating in Thailand. This could serve as a model for curriculum design that goes in line with national development at the diploma and university levels.